The present invention relates generally to item manipulation, and particularly to manipulation of entire layers of items during handling operations.
Palletizing generally refers to a process of constructing a stack of items organized as layers on a pallet. A pallet is a standard support and carrier structure used in shipping and provides a support surface for receiving items stacked for transport. Efficient shipping of palletized items calls for efficient stacking of items on the pallet to minimize open space within the stack. Accordingly, a variety of “item patterns” have emerged for efficient and stable packing together of items in item layers on a pallet. In some applications unit loads are built effectively identical to loads on pallets absent the pallet itself with a slip sheet providing load support or without any underlying support structure. Whether loads are built on pallets or without pallets, the common art name is palletizing.
Two common methods on palletizing consist of layer building palletizers and robotic pick and place palletizing. Layer building palletizers typically employ various mechanisms to manipulate items into rows of items spaced and turned appropriately to construct rows. Rows of items are then transferred to a layer assembly platform through various means until a layer is completed. Depending on the location of the of the layer assembly device, the completed layer is transferred to the load under construction. Typically the layer construction device has a layer support surface commonly called an apron. The apron can be rigid or flexible and in either style the apron is pulled from under the layer of items to deposit the layer on the pallet or previously deposited layer. Prior to deposit it is common to condition the layer that may be loosely assembled using various clamping means. Where the layer is assembled relative to the load under construction varies. Layers can be built horizontally offset then raised or lowered then moved horizontally for deposit. The layer can be assembled above the load under construction and either the layer assembly device is lowered to the load under construction for deposit or the load itself is raised to the fixed layer assembly device that opens to deposit the layer. A third method is to build less than complete layers that are transferred to the layer assembly device that vertically positions above the load under construction. All methods and techniques used are common in the art of layer building palletizing.
Robotic pick and place palletizing utilizes a programmable mechanism to pick and place an item, item groups or previously constructed layers from a picking location to pallet load under construction. Unless the layer was previously constructed by other means, the pick and place device picks and places items into their finished position on the load under construction. A characteristic of such pick and place actions is the item or items are picked in such a manner that the actual gripping device does not hinder final positioning of items or items on the load. Top picking vacuum gripping systems are most common where there is no gripping mechanism below the top of the item or items being picked and placed allowing tight placement of item or items adjacent to each other on the load under construction. Side gripping devices or bottom support devices are alternative gripping devices. Side grippers are effective and more positive than top picking vacuum methods, but whatever the thickness of the side gripper is becomes a void in the finished load unless the pick and place device performs a secondary bump to remove the void. Bottom support devices are more problematical if a tight finished load is desired as the bottom support must have horizontal clearance to disengage from supporting the item or items bottom when depositing. Typically the horizontal space is at the periphery of the load or the load pattern allows space interior to the load that limits load pattern flexibility. Regardless of the item or items pick and place gripping device employed all typically need to slow down for accurate final placement and in most instances move items or items at speeds slower than the programmable mechanism is capable of due to insecure gripping. The most common top picking vacuum gripping method is especially susceptible to insecure handling requiring slower speeds.
There are two deviations to the above generalities about item or items gripper technologies employed by pick and place palletizers that apply to bag handling and full layer handling. Bags are typically handled with a basket style gripper that surrounds the bag in a clamp including supporting a substantial part of the bag bottom. The basket gripper opens dropping the bag into position onto the load under construction from an elevation allowing clearance for the basket to open. Dropping the bag is often preferred as dropping allows the pliable bag content to deform to the previously deposited bags creating a tighter load. Because the bag is contained in the basket and final placement accuracy is less critical the pick and place device often can operate at higher speeds than the same pick and place device will operate with previously discussed item or items handling devices. Often speeds are 20% faster when an identical programmable item pick and place device is assembling an identical pattern of bags compared to rigid containers indicative of the advantage of bottom support and less accurate final positioning provides. The second differentiating method of pick and place palletizing is full layer handling. Commonly the full layer is preassembled by various means into a tight configuration then the layer is picked and placed using top vacuum, side clamping or bottom support means so that the layer can be picked and place onto the load. Some bottom supporting methods will receive a loosely assembled layer and perform secondary layer conditioning into a tight configuration during the pick and place cycle.
Nearly all finished loads are stretch wrapped prior to shipment to secure the load against disruption from the rigors of transportation. As such if palletizing and stretch wrapping are combined into one location there are benefits in space savings in that space for secondary stretch wrapping operations are unnecessary and many less stable loads benefit from the stability imparted by stretch wrapping while load building. There are three primary prior art patents related to palletizing and stretch wrapping that employ palletizing methods discussed earlier. For example, Yourgalite, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,224, teaches picking and placing an item or groups of items on an offset turntable where wrapping occurs as the load is built. Items or groups of items are positioned in the final load build position only if the turntable is not rotating; this requires that no items be palletized when the stretch wrapping operation is active. Second, Denley in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,471 teaches building a full layer of rows of items at a horizontally offset position below the finished load height then transferring the layer for deposit to the load under construction. During layer construction at an adjacent offset position the stretch wrapper can operate providing concurrent layer building and load wrapping. And thirdly, Heston in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,533 teaches building a full layer of rows of items with items entering at an elevation above the finished load height in the same vertical space as the stretch wrap turntable occupies. Layers can be simultaneously built while palletizing occurs.
Despite the current state of the art, there remains a need for a compact palletizer that more quickly and more efficiently creates layers for palletizing and more quickly builds an entire pallet of items. One attempt to create a more efficient palleting device includes the device of Corsini in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,173. Corsini teaches an apparatus for placing items in groups on pallets according to a pre-set planar configuration. An up-stream forming machine discharges items pre-grouped into stacks. The apparatus comprises a pallet loading station with a movable arm fitted with a claw for gripping at least one rank of stacks and positions the rank onto the plane of the pallet. In yet another example, Yourgalite in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,335 instructs that a set of boxes should be accumulated before they are picked up by a robotic palletizer and transferred to a turntable.
TopTier, Inc of Portland, Oreg. manufacturers several palletizer models including two row building palletizers with concurrent stretch wrapping. High and low infeed models build rows that are transferred to a layer build table that vertically reciprocates above the stretch wrapper turntable. While the turntable is wrapping, subsequent layers can be built on the layer head. Another low infeed version used for higher speeds assembles less than a layer on a vertically reciprocating deck. The pre-arranged item groupings of partial layers are then transferred to a layer assembly device that occupies the vertically space above the turntable. Once sufficient partial layer groups are transferred to the layer assembly device the layer is deposited onto the load under construction. Layer groupings can continue to be transferred to the layer assembly device while the turntable is wrapping allowing concurrent stretch wrapping
The above methods can successfully palletize and stretch wrap or palletize and concurrently stretch wrap with limitations. The current state of the art of pick and place methods and known devices must cease load building while wrapping occurs. These known construction and layer deposit methods include many complex mechanisms to accomplish palletizing and their throughput speed is limited by the inability to queue more than one layer without increasing machine complexity during final wrap and load pallet exchange time limiting total load throughput speeds to about a layer every 45 seconds.
However, Denley, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,471, teaches one means to queue more than one layer during wrapping operation utilizing more than one stacked apron.
Yet, there still remains a need for a palletizing devices and methods that improve total load throughput speeds, reduce complexity of components, maintain or improve upon a compact footprint and that can provide the benefits of more effective concurrent stretch wrapping. There is a need for a hybrid palletizer adapted to overcome the limitations of the known state of the art and provide a palletizing solution that is smaller, faster, and lower cost (to manufacture, operate, and maintain) compared to the current devices. Such an improved hybrid palletizer should further provide new capabilities unavailable utilizing the best attributes of established methods of palletizing.
As discussed, pick and place palletizers are often constrained to lower speeds than the mechanism are capable of operating at because speed must be reduced to perform exact placement of an item or items as the load stack is built directly on the load under construction. Proper finished loads require tight uniform stacks of items on the pallet so precise positioning is a necessity. Furthermore methods of gripping an item or items can also reduce speed potential as the gripper is not capable of retaining items or items at higher speed potential. Or, gripper methods that allow fast speeds compromise item or items placement by requiring gaps or clearance for gripper removal.
Thus, there also is a need for a hybrid palletizing solution that employs a pick and place device depositing an item or items to an intermediate oversized layer assembly platform that provides cures for the shortcomings discussed above.